Between the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal and Prince William's surprising remark that he plans to shake up the monarchy when he's King, all eyes have been on the Royal Family and how it might change in the near future.
And one royal who is expected to play a big part in the making of the Royal Family 2.0 is Lady Louise Windsor. Described as the Royal Family's "secret weapon" by a source who spoke to the MailOnline, the 22-year-old student is someone we may see a lot more of.
But who is Lady Louise Windsor? Here's everything you need to know about her...
11 things to know about Lady Louise Windsor
She's the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
Lady Louise Windsor is the daughter of Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie Wessex. Prince Edward is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and took over the Duke of Edinburgh title from his father upon his death.
She was born prematurely
Lady Louise Windsor was born a month early at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey on 8 November 2003. Prince Edward was not present at the birth as he was on an official visit in Mauritius at the time.
Louise's arrival did not come without complications. Louise was born via emergency C-section, weighing just 4 lbs., 9 oz., and due to a placental abruption, both she and Sophie suffered severe blood loss. Her premature birth also caused complications further down the line, as her eyesight was affected.
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"Premature babies can often have squints because the eyes are the last thing in the baby package to really be finalised," Sophie told the Sunday Express of her daughter's eye condition. "Her squint was quite profound when she was tiny, and it takes time to correct it. You've got to make sure one eye doesn't become more dominant than the other, but she's fine now — her eyesight is perfect."
She doesn't use an HRH or Princess title
Although Lady Louise Windsor is entitled by birth to have a Princess title, her parents opted against this.
Per royal protocol, the children of male descendants of the monarch automatically receive a royal title, but Edward and Sophie decided to do things a little differently – leaving the decision up to their children when they came of age. This meant that, upon her 18th birthday, Louise was given the choice to become a Princess, but she opted not to.
If Louise had decided the title was a good fit for her, she would have been entitled to 'Her Royal Highness' styling, like her cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Instead, she followed the suit of her other cousins, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips (Princess Anne's children), who haven't adopted these titles either.
Previously speaking about the decision not to immediately bestow her children with a fancy title, Sophie (AKA the Duchess of Edinburgh) told The Sunday Times: "We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely to have to work for a living."
She went on, "Hence, we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it's highly unlikely [they'll choose to]."
She is studying for an English degree
Lady Louise Windsor is currently studying an English degree at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She started her studies there in 2022 and is currently in her fourth and final year, with plans to graduate in 2026.
Louise is not the only royal to have studied at St Andrews. Prince William and Kate Middleton famously studied – and, more famously, met – at the Scottish university, from which they graduated in 2005.
She didn't realise she was the Queen's granddaughter
Having grown up without the pomp and ceremony of a Princess title, Lady Louise Windsor didn't actually realise she was related to the Queen until her schoolfriends told her.
Revealing this tidbit, Sophie Wessex told the BBC back in 2016 that it came as a "shock to the system" for Louise to find out the Queen was her grandmother. "It was only when she was coming home from school and saying, 'Mummy, people keep on telling me that grandma is the queen'," the now-Duchess of Edinburgh said. "And I asked her, 'Yes, how does that make you feel?' And she said, 'I don't understand'."
Sophie continued: "I don't think she had grasped that perhaps there was only one queen."
She was the Queen's "favourite" grandchild
Despite not realising her royal connection for some time, Lady Louise Windsor has often been referred to as the late Queen Elizabeth II's "favourite" grandchild. Although Her Majesty had eight grandchildren, she is thought to have formed a particularly special bond with Louise due to their shared hobbies, which included drawing and art.
She's a skilled carriage driver
Lady Louise Windsor picked up a lot of hobbies from her grandmother, but she also adopted Prince Philip's love of carriage driving.
Like the late Prince Philip, Louise is a keen carriage driver and is believed to have inherited his driving ponies and carriage. In May 2022, Louise showed off her skills, driving her grandfather's carriage at the Platinum Jubilee Royal Windsor Horse Show. "I trail in her wake, frankly," Sophie told HELLO! of her daughter's riding skills. "She is naturally so good at it, she really is. It's something that she has taken to very well."
She used to work in a garden centre
Before heading to university in 2022, Lady Louise Windsor took up a job at a garden centre while waiting for her A-Level results. According to one shopper, Louise helped out on the tills, greeted customers and pruned and potted plants – and was reportedly earning £6.83 an hour.
"I couldn’t believe it was Lady Louise — I had to look twice," the shopper told The Sun of the royal encounter. "She is a really modest and sweet young woman who is polite and attentive to customers. She seemed to be loving the job... You'd never imagine the Queen's granddaughter would take on a role working behind a till."
She is the most "down-to-earth" royal
Although the phrases 'down-to-earth' and 'royal' don't often go hand-in-hand, when it comes to Lady Louise Windsor, they really do.
This year, Louise was pictured sitting on the floor of a busy train carriage – prompting the MailOnline's insider to brand her the "most down-to-earth royal". In the photo, which was taken on a train between London and Bristol, Louise is seen sitting on the floor of the carriage as she works on her laptop.
She has been in two royal weddings
Nope, that doesn't mean she's been married twice! Rather, Lady Louise Windsor has played an important role in two royal weddings. Louise was a flower girl at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011, and took on the role of managing the pageboys and bridesmaids at Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding in 2018.
She's a regular at important royal events
Speaking of special events, as well as weddings and the ilk, Lady Louise Windsor joins the Royal Family for key moments, like Trooping the Colour. She also typically attends the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day church service at Sandringham, walking with her parents and brother, James, to St. Mary Magdalene Church.
